Abstract:ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of capecitabine combined with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for postoperative mediastinal lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer. MethodsA total of 62 esophageal cancer patients with postoperative mediastinal lymph node metastases were randomly divided into the irradiation group (A group, 31 cases) and the capecitabine combined with IMRT group ( B group, 31 cases). Both of two groups received IMRT radiotherapy with a total dose of 6066 Gy, 3033 times in 66.5 weeks. The patients in B group were treated with capecitabine (1 250mg/m2, 2 f/d, d1d14, 21 d×2 cycle). ResultsGroup A: there were 7 cases of complete response (CR), 12 of partial response (PR), 10 of stable disease (SD), and 2 of progressive disease(PD); the effective rate was 61.3%(19/31). Group B: there were 10 cases of CR, 16 of PR, 4 of SD, and 1of PD; the effective rate was 83.9%(26/31). There was a statistical significance between the effective rates of A group and B group(χ2=3.971, P＜0.05). Our experiment showed that the rates of grade Ⅱand Ⅲ myelosuppression in group A and group B were 29.0% and 38.7%(χ2=0.648, P=0.421). The rates of Ⅰ and Ⅱ level radioactive pneumonia in group A and were 19.4% and 25.8%(χ2=0.369, P=0.544). The different incidence of the two adverse reactions between group A and B had no statistical significance. ConclusionCompared with IMRT alone, IMRT combined with capecitabine may have better curative efficacy without increasing toxicity to esophageal cancer patients with postoperative mediastinum lymphonode metastasis

Key words:Radiotherapy, intensitymodulated,Esophageal neoplasms,Lymphonode metastasis,Capecitabine